IATSE-2nd2018_web

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AND NOW FOR THE NEWS During this time, television news grew rapidly, also having a profound impact on IATSE. Within a few short years, TV news and documentaries would become as much a part of the medium as gangsters (The Untouchables), Westerns (Bonanza) and comedies (I Love Lucy). The rise of TV news negatively impacted IATSE members’ jobs in two ways: First, it gradually eliminated theatrical newsreels from television and movie theaters and second, the networks decided to stop relying on footage from sources like Fox and Telenews and began maintaining film crews in all the major metropolitan areas instead. Each crew was generally made up of a cameraperson, a soundperson, and an electrician who recorded the material on film. Since IA members had been performing these functions for many years, the television networks and stations readily recognized the value of hiring union. As a result, IATSE contracts were negotiated with the three major television networks — the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), CBS and NBC — and with many other television stations covering the news film crews. These contracts provided substantial, long-term employment for IA members at favorable rates of pay and desirable working conditions. In most cases, television news was simply reported, without analysis or context. For many years, the nightly newscasts were only fifteen minutes long. But in 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II made the networks realize that people would watch newsworthy events for more than the allotted fifteen minutes. NBC went after the coronation story in an aggressive way, even employing a completely new and secret rapid film development process created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ROLL TAPE! In the late 1950s, another technological advance, videotape, revolutionized the field because it allowed picture and sound to be recorded simultaneously, and played back instantaneously. In addition, videotape allowed transmission of picture and sound from the field directly to a television station, and from there direct to the public over the airwaves, making possible live broadcasts of news events. Video also revolutionized the entertainment side of TV. Instead of live programming, which required extensive rehearsal time, shows could be recorded on videotape in the same way that filmed shows were made — by the stop-and-go method. Tapes could also be edited like film, so shows could be put together out of sequence. Several shows could be taped 44
in a day or a week, whereas with live TV it took much longer. This resulted in less work for IATSE members who had been working not only on the production of shows but on the rehearsals as well. Worst of all, shows recorded on tape could be re-broadcast many times over, thereby providing networks with a source of program material that dispensed with the necessity of IA crafts. Additionally, the development of mobile video cameras used in the field to cover news stories sparked a heated controversy over who would represent the camera operators. Although IATSE argued that the news motion picture crews possessed the know-how and experience to cover news in the field and should therefore be awarded the jurisdiction over the so-called ENG (Electronic News Gathering) function, the networks awarded the work to IBEW or NABET. Litigation resulted, but for the most part the award of jurisdiction by the networks was upheld by the NLRB, by arbitrators, by the courts in some instances, and by the impartial umpire under Article 20 of the AFL-CIO Constitution. The end result was that the engineering unions by and large took over the function of gathering news in the field through electronic cameras using videotape. Many IA members who had done this work in the past were required to become members of IBEW or NABET to stay employed by the networks. But IATSE kept at it. And in 1964, President Walsh signed an agreement with the Association of Motion Picture Producers and the Alliance of Television Film Producers 4 that covered videotape productions. Later on, videotape had a profound impact on IATSE members in other ways. Tape could be reused, and did not require as much careful lighting as film. Video cameras were perfected to the point where virtually anyone could use one. The result was that many “independent” producers began to make video films for television as well as movies. LANDMARKS OF TV NEWS In the late 1950s and early 1960s, several major events impacted society and network news programming — and the work lives of IATSE members. The U.S. visit of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev kept hundreds of IA camera operators, sound technicians, electricians, grips, gaffers and other technical personnel working around the clock to cover the historic occasion. The election of John F. Kennedy as President in 1960 was another major event that transformed TV. The first Kennedy- Nixon debate was at a CBS affiliate, WBWM in Chicago. Station technicians were required to meet all kinds of demands on the part of the candidates’ entourages, including painting the background on the set two times, the last time shortly before the debate was to begin. The IATSE members on the set of that first debate helped make history. The Kennedy inauguration lasted all day and into the night, just as coverage of his assassination would preoccupy tens of millions of Americans just a few years later. In the latter instance, television served the dual purpose of informing the public and helping the nation to grieve. The images gathered by IATSE technical crews were emotionally riveting. Forever after, IA members would find themselves in the midst of national and international events knowing that Canadian and American citizens were relying on them to bring news into the living room. Wars, urban riots, the conquest of space, live telecasts of congressional hearings on everything from civil unrest to the possible impeachment of a President — IA members made it possible for the people to be eyewitnesses to all of these pivotal events. 4 The two organizations merged in 1982 and became the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. 45
Page 2 and 3: EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Matthew D. Loeb
Page 4 and 5: PRESIDENT MATTHEW D. LOEB reflectio
Page 6 and 7: The year is 1893. Grover Cleveland
Page 8 and 9: THE LEGACY OF LEE HART Lee Hart is
Page 10 and 11: order its members to withdraw from
Page 12 and 13: THE FIRST JURISDICTIONAL BATTLES Me
Page 14 and 15: THE MOVING PICTURES When moving pic
Page 16 and 17: at West End Park. The Holland broth
Page 18 and 19: The city became an open battlegroun
Page 20 and 21: never seen before. Steps, ledges an
Page 22 and 23: 22
Page 24 and 25: In 1921, the collective salaries of
Page 26 and 27: (1927), Hollywood changed forever.
Page 28 and 29: widely considered the Golden Age of
Page 30 and 31: In the studios, craft workers gaine
Page 32 and 33: The Alliance and a splinter group,
Page 34 and 35: WAR: AT HOME AND ABROAD With the ou
Page 36 and 37: 36
Page 38 and 39: Carpenters, the AFL committee issue
Page 40 and 41: systems set up in many theaters aro
Page 42 and 43: the organizing difficulties when he
Page 46 and 47: THE STORIES IA MEMBERS CAN TELL As
Page 48 and 49: “AND NOW IN LIVING COLOR” By th
Page 50 and 51: manship of theater-based IA carpent
Page 52 and 53: to start rebuilding its theater com
Page 54 and 55: THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY TRANSFO
Page 56 and 57: acting in a Cinemascope picture was
Page 58 and 59: ALFRED W. DI TOLLA — PIVOTAL LEAD
Page 60 and 61: CENTENNIAL In July 1993, the IATSE
Page 62 and 63: HEALTH AND RETIREMENT SECURITY Prov
Page 64 and 65: pants were primarily projectionists
Page 66 and 67: 66
Page 68 and 69: 4 Local 796 Texas, covering the Hou
Page 70 and 71: GAINING POWER AT THE BARGAINING TAB
Page 72 and 73: DIGITAL AGREEMENT As motion picture
Page 74 and 75: 74
Page 76 and 77: The work in safety that began in th
Page 78 and 79: IATSE included George Fern Co., All
Page 80 and 81: NEW LEADERSHIP RISES The year 2002
Page 82 and 83: 82
Page 84 and 85: Colorado. Workers at these faciliti
Page 86 and 87: opportunities in legitimate theatre
Page 88 and 89: history and culture. Young people o
Page 90 and 91: coverage with the Producers paying
Page 92 and 93: track the Hollywood Basic Agreement
Page 94 and 95:
Office. The database has built-in r
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EMPOWERING MEMBERS THROUGH EDUCATIO
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In its first four years, the IATSE
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tainment Safety OSHA 10 class at th
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able, and taking other bold initiat
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AV ESSENTIALS For many years, sever
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A 21ST CENTURY UNION FOR 21ST CENTU
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INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING In, 2012, th
Page 110 and 111:
time staff who work out of the IATS
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112
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Ratifying this wisdom of this strat
Page 116 and 117:
Acknowledgments This special issue
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M 634 SUDBURY/NORTH BAY, ON‐Keith
Page 120 and 121:
S 629 AUGUSTA‐Anthony Capaz, 2312
Page 122 and 123:
M 616 MERIDIAN‐Benny Eggler, abeg
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(216‐621‐9537) (Fax: 216-621-35
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M 141 LaCROSSE‐Peggy Sannerud, ps
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PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
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